Has anyone else out there seen an alarming number of these microwaves with repeated magnetron and inverter failures? Model # GMH5205XVS-0 is just one example but there are many other models made within the past 1-2 years that have this same cavity / waveguide design. Symptoms are no heat or intermittent no heat along with F7 codes. What we are finding is severe arcing in the waveguide. I have attached a picture of the burnt waveguide & magnetron. Other points of arcing are sometimes one of the 3 "posts" that are inside the waveguide. The posts seem to be there to help disperse the microwaves as there is no stirrer fan in these models. The burns in the waveguide can usually be seen without pulling the unit down by removing the waveguide cover inside the cavity & looking up inside it with a mirror & flashlight. Usually you will find fine pieces of burnt metal at the bottom of the waveguide opening when you remove the cover if it has been arcing for a long time.

Because of the burnt waveguide, Whirlpool is having to replace these units when they fail, if they are still under warranty. Unfortunately for the customers, these units only have a 1 year warranty, with no more extended coverage on the magnetron or cavity. So once these things burn up after the first year, the customer will have to buy a new one. Simply replacing the magnetron on these units has resulted in the magnetron burning out quickly again.

I personally have seen 15 - 20 of these microwaves that have burnt up like this over the past 9 months. Other techs in my company are also seeing the same. Whirlpool is refusing to acknowledge that these units have a problem. I think they are hoping the majority of them make it past a year so they are off the hook.

What makes you think this is built by Panasonic? I am usually pretty good at spotting products made by manufacturers other than what they are labeled as and I have not noticed any similarities in these new Whirlpool models to any of the Panasonics I have seen. Do you have any further info on this?

I have noticed that before as I owned a Panasonic countertop inverter type microwave. However I don't think the whole unit is made by Panasonic. Nothing else about the Whirlpool units looks like a Panasonic design. Maybe that's the whole reason these new ones are arcing in the waveguide. Haven't seen any Panasonics doing that! Poor Whirlpool engineering.

Thanks tgoods! Wow that bulletin is dated December 2011. I must have had atleast a dozen of them replaced in 2012 from burnt waveguides. Nobody ever mentioned this bulletin. I wonder what is different with the parts in the kit, particularly how different the control board operates. And why is a new glass tray & coupler included in the kit?